Galatians chapter 4. Galatians chapter 4. The title of this lesson, Till
Christ Be Formed in You. Till Christ be formed in you.
Now we will pick back up on verse 12. We left off verse 11 last
week. Paul says in verse 12, Brethren,
he uses family language. Paul is so tender. He's so tender. We can learn so much from him.
We can learn so much from just how he handled The brethren,
the family, God's family. Brethren, I beseech you. He doesn't
even say, I command you. I beg you. I beg you as one of you. I beseech you. Be as I am, for I am as you are. You've not injured me at all.
How is Paul? He says, be as I am. What's he
talking about? He's talking about being free
from the law, free from ritualism. Paul's a Jew, they know that.
And he's saying that, I'm a Jew, but I want you to be as I am.
I'm free from that law of ritualism that I was under. I'm free from
it. I'm free from the law of ceremonies.
I'm not under the law of ceremonies no more. All the law has been
fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm free from it, and I want
you to be as I am. And he said, for I am as you
are. You know, Paul said this in one place, I have become all
things to all men, that I might win some, that I might win God's
people. you might be able to preach to
them. And he's saying this, I am as you are, I'm a Gentile. See, not like Peter did, not
like Peter who got up and separated from the Gentiles when the Jews
came down, he said, I'm as you are, I'm free. They were free. As Gentiles, they were free from
the law. But the Judaizer was trying to bring them under the
law. But he says here, brethren, I beseech you, be as I am, because
I am as you are, for I am as you are. You've not injured me
at all. What you've done is not damaged
me. Your sin is not against me. Now
listen, what he's saying here is powerful. You've done no injury
to me. Your offense, listen, is to Christ. Your sin is against Christ. What
you're doing is against the Lord Jesus Christ. It's against the
principles of grace. You've not injured me. You have
offended the Lord Jesus Christ. I still feel the same towards
you, Paul's saying. I still love you. I still love you. I love you in
Christ. We're brethren in Christ. You've
not injured me, you've not injured my feelings towards you. And he says here in verse 13,
now you know, you know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached
the gospel unto you at first. And what he's pointing out here
is Paul evidently, evidently he had a real infirmity. We don't
know what, we don't know what that was. But I tell you this,
through his physical weakness and infirmity, he said, I had
this while I was among you, and you didn't reject me. You didn't
turn on me at all. In fact, he said, if it were
possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them
to me. That's how much you thought of
me. but you know how through infirmity
of the flesh I preached the gospel to you at first. None, and here's
the point, none of those Judaizers, none of them were preaching the
gospel or they didn't preach the gospel at all, but they didn't
come to them preaching through much infirmity, through persecution. They just walked into town and
everything was just fine. Paul said, my time among you
was very difficult, very difficult. And this shows the sincerity
of Paul. This shows the sincerity of his
love, that he endured these things for Christ's sake and for their
sakes, for the good of God's elect. He said he endured everything
for God's elect, for the sake of God's elect, all those things
he endured. In my temptation there in verse
14, my trial, my trial, which was in my flesh. You see, you
despise not. Whatever it was, you didn't despise
me for it. You didn't look down on me. You
know, one of the things that those Judaizers, would say about
Paul that he was contemptible, his speech was contemptible,
that his presence was contemptible. I don't know what Paul's infirmity
in the flesh here, but he says, I tell you this, it had to be
very noticeable and it had to be a problem. It had to be a
real problem because he says, you didn't despise me because
of it. Nor did you reject me, you were not repulsed by it,
whatever it was. But you received me as an angel
of God, even as Christ Jesus. You received me as if you were
receiving Him. And Paul's pointing out here
to them how much they thought of him at one time. We're so
fickle, aren't we? We are fickle folk. We're so changeable. I remember,
I used to be a big Dallas Cowboy fan, and I remember whenever
Jimmy Jones, I think it was, he took it over his coaching,
but I can't think of the man's name, it bought them. Well, at
that time, Tom Landry was the winningest coach. He was one
of the winningest coaches in the NFL, won several Super Bowls. But just as soon as they had
a couple losing seasons, bam, cut him off. That's how fickle
we are. There's no loyalty. No loyalty. And Paul says here, at one time,
you thought highly of me until these men came in and now you've
changed. You actually look at me as an
enemy. I'll show you this in a minute.
We'll come across it. He said, you received me as an angel of
God. In fact, even as Jesus Christ
himself, you received me. And here's a truth, here's a
fact. To receive Christ's messenger
is to receive Christ Himself. The Lord said this, He that receives
you, receives Me. And here's something that's important. The way we treat and the way
we receive Christ's messenger is the way we receive Christ
and the way we think of Him. However I think of God's messenger
is the way I think of Christ himself. It's a reflection of
it. And so Paul says there, In my
trial, which was in my flesh, you despised not, nor rejected,
but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Where
is then that blessedness you spoke of? Where did joy go? Where did the real joy go that
you experienced when you heard the gospel? When I preached the
gospel to you, and he preached the gospel to them in power,
and he's saying now, where did that go? Where did that joy go
that we enjoyed when we were together? Where did that fellowship
and that harmony and that peace and that joy that you experienced
when I preached the gospel to you, where did it go? Where did
it go? Where's that joy you demonstrated
when you first heard the gospel of your salvation? I wrote on here this morning,
how fast we lose that honeymoon feeling. Don't you wish you could
capture that? Don't you wish you could can
that? When you first had that honeymoon, you remember that?
When you first married, you went on your honeymoon, you were with
each other. You wanted to be with each other. Now it's like,
you want to go? Now you go ahead. I got something
else I want to do. You know that. That's why everybody
laughed on it. You used to, you'd go to the
store with her. Oh, when you was dating, and then when you
married, you just wanted to be together all the time. Now it's
like, you do your thing, I do mine. What time's supper? I'm
serious. And that's what Paul's saying.
And the same things happens to us spiritually. I can remember
when I first heard the gospel, I couldn't stay there long enough.
Henry couldn't preach long enough. The fellowship was so sweet,
but I do remember a time of it growing cold. I remember a time
I got so wrapped up in business. I remember a time it grew cold.
I remember a time it was like, oh, you know, I'm tired tonight. I tell you, when I first heard
the gospel, I was never tired. I was not, I couldn't wait to
get there. Where does that go? Well, I do
know this, sin. Sin is still in us. And we get
wore down. Sin wears us down. We get interested
in other things. In their case, they started to
listen to the wrong people. They gave attention to the wrong
people, the wrong preachers. Where is the blessedness you
spoke of? I bear you record. I'm a witness
to this. If it'd been possible, you'd
have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. That's
how much you thought of me. You didn't despise me. You didn't
reject me because of my infirmities. In fact, and this is why some
think it was an eye problem, sight problem, but in fact, at
one time, you would have given me your eyes. You'd have done
that. You know, at 13th Street, there's
a, A man there, Chuck Moore. I'm trying to think of this story.
Chuck Moore, he had kidney disease. He's the brother of Lynn, Todd
Niver's wife, who just, you know, she had that liver transplant.
Well, there's a thing in that family, a genetic problem, and
she had, or he had kidney disease. Well, his kidneys were shutting
down. Well, there's another man in
that congregation, Joe Turner, who stepped forward and gave
him a kidney. He gave him a good, healthy kidney. He just stepped forward. He loved
his brother. He loved Chuck so much, he just stepped forward
and gave him a kidney. Paul said, if it had been possible,
you would have given me your eyes. That's how much you love
me. But where has that gone? Where
has the love gone? What happened to that love and
zeal for the Lord Jesus Christ? And me, his servant, what happened
to that love? Now don't go saying, well, I
still love the Lord, but I don't care that much for you, Paul.
You don't love him either, okay? If your love dwindles for me,
I guarantee it dwindles for Christ too. Because we're one. We're one. That's why Paul's
asking, where'd that love and zeal go? the way we handle God's servants,
the way we handle Christ. Am I therefore become your enemy
because I tell you the truth? I thought of this example while
just sitting here. I thought of these verses. This is why
I can't remember to have announcements. You all tell me sometimes, you
say, announcements. I say, you got to be kidding me. My mind
is on one thing while I'm standing here. I mean, I am preaching
from the time I leave that study. When I'm in that study, I get
up here and I deliver the message. That's the only thing on my mind. Am I your enemy because I tell
you the truth? Your wife puts on a new outfit.
I was thinking of this sitting here. I thought your wife puts
on a new outfit and she comes in the room and you say, you
know, that really doesn't look that good on you. Am I your enemy? Honey, am I
your enemy because I told you the truth? It really doesn't
look that good on you. Should I just let you go? It
doesn't look that good. We're rarely that honest, are
we? We're rarely that honest. But that's what Paul's saying.
I have told you the truth. I told you the truth about yourself. There's none good, no not one,
including you, including me. I've told you the truth about
God, I've told you the truth about Jesus Christ. Now have
I become your enemy for telling you the truth? Am I your enemy
now for telling you the truth that you've missed it, you're
in trouble? You've left the gospel for another gospel, which is
not another? Am I your enemy? Only one that
really loves you would tell you the truth. Only one that really loves you
would tell you, no, that really doesn't look that good. Only one that really loves you.
Everybody else will lie to you. They'll lie to you just to get
along. It's sad, but so Paul preached
Christ to them. They rejoiced in the gospel and
they were so grateful. They were so grateful to God
for sending Paul to them. So grateful to God because he
sent Paul to them. They overlooked his infirmities.
They treat him like an angel of God. And now they're treating
him as an enemy. Now they're treating him like
an enemy. I saw that some years ago. I saw that very thing happen. I saw some people who loved,
who said they loved their pastor, turn on him. Just turn on him. I've seen it happen. And Paul
said, you're counting me as an enemy because I've told you the
truth. They, those Judaizers, zealously
affect you. That word affect there means
court. They're courting you. They're courting you. but not
well, not good, not for your good. They're not courting you
for your good. I have in my lifetime, in the past,
I have seen a young man or two court a woman not for good intentions. not for good intentions. And
Paul's saying here, their zeal, their courting you is not for
good intentions. It's evil behind it, evil. Yea,
they would exclude you. That word, it means to isolate
them. They would isolate you. That
you might affect them, that you might be beneficial to them.
Those Judaizers, they pretended to love them. They came into
town and they pretended to love those Gentile converts. They pretended to seek their
best, just like those televangelists, you know, they pretend to seek
their best. But they had an ulterior motive,
and that was to separate them from Paul. They came into town
to separate them from Paul and from the true gospel of the grace
of God. Here's how false preachers work. Isolate, then indoctrinate. And that's what they were doing.
They isolate them first for Paul. They came into town, they tore
down Paul's character and Paul's message. They tried to isolate
them from the Apostle Paul, and then they tried to indoctrinate
them with the Law of Works, the Law of Ceremonies. That's what
they tried to do. They isolate in order to gain
their favor and to look to them for guidance. You need any counsel,
just call us. Don't ever set yourself up as
a counselor. Now you can do that in school, okay? I mean, you
can be counselors in school, but in spiritual things, I know
a couple of people that they took courses in Christian counseling. You want counsel? Come here and
sit and listen to the gospel preached. I'll give you counsel.
God will give you counsel. I can't tell you how much I've
learned just by reading the Word of God, sitting down, and hearing
my pastor preach. It's amazing how over the years,
God counsels through that. And that's how He does it. You
know, Christ is the only one in Scripture that's called counselor. You know, when I need counsel,
I've learned to do this. I've learned to say, Lord, lead
me, guide me, counsel me. Speak to me through your word.
Speak to me through your preacher. But you do the speaking. You
guide me. You counsel me. He's the counselor. I'm just
here delivering a message. That's all I'm doing. But Paul
says here, but it's good. And he's saying, it's good to
be zealous. It's good to be zealously affected
always in a good thing. There's nothing wrong with...
He's not condemning good zeal. With God, we're all zealous for
God's glory. It's good to be zealous over
the gospel. We ought to be zealous over the
things of the Lord Jesus Christ. But listen, but not all zeal
is good. Go read Romans 10. In fact, just
turn over there real quick. Romans 10. We've got time. If this is the verse I'm thinking
of, I don't have it written down. Verse 1, Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God,
but not according to knowledge. They are zealously wrong. Not
all zeal is good. And there is good zeal to be
zealous of God's glory, be zealous of the gospel, But there is wrong zeal. There
were those who were zealous of the law, keeping the law. Paul
was at one time. That's wrong. That's wrong. He says in verse 19, my little
children, he calls them this because he sees them as babes
in Christ. He calls them babes in Christ,
that's what he said, my little children. And Paul uses this
affectionate language to draw them in, to show his true love
for them. But my little children, of whom
I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. I travail, Paul, you know, here
he uses the same terminology as a woman in childbirth. You know, birth pains. Paul's
saying, he's telling us how emotionally involved in this he is. It's
not like he's writing from a cold heart and a cold position. It's
just like, well, no, he's like a woman giving birth. He says,
this is like birth pains to me. My little children. Babes in
Christ, I travail in birth again, of whom I travail in birth again
until Christ be formed in you." You see, this thing of salvation,
this thing of a relationship with God is a real living relationship. It's a real living union to the
Lord Jesus Christ. Till Christ be formed in your
heart, and in your affections, and in your minds, that you are
consumed with Jesus Christ. Not consumed with, well, what
do we do this morning? You know, the ceremonies, which
one we have, what happens? No, that you be consumed with
the Lord Jesus Christ. Henry gave this some time ago,
and I heard Paul mention it in a message last week. And I wrote
it, I've got it written in my Bible. Here is our relationship
to Christ. This is for the believer here. Number one, it is total commitment
to Christ. Two, total communion with Christ. And three, total conformity to
Christ. You just write that down and
you remember that. His total commitment to the Lord
Jesus Christ, His total communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, and
His total conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. Till Christ be
formed in you. Let's make this our goal till
He comes. Till He comes. And then he says this, and I'm
gonna close in verse 20. I desire, and Paul greatly desired
this. I desire to be present with you
now and to change my voice, not write like this. This is not
pleasant. This is not pleasant. Paul found no pleasure in this.
For I stand, listen, this is tough. I stand in doubt of you. I stand in doubt of you. See, he called them brethren,
he called them my little children, and before he says this to them,
I stand in doubt of you. If you keep going down that road,
you have never been saved. God has not saved you. If you
go down that road of law, of ceremonialism, ritualism, works,
if you keep going down that road, Christ will profit you nothing.
You're lost. You're lost. A profession has
never saved anybody. It's a possession. It's being
possessed of Christ. Paul wanted to be present with
them and deal with this matter face-to-face. He said, I wish
I was there. I'd deal with it face-to-face. Face-to-face. When
a person who has confessed Christ becomes taken up with other things
besides Christ and they continue down that road, Boy, their standing
is very doubtful. It's doubtful. And it's very
concerning to God's preacher, God's pastors here, God's apostle
to the Gentiles. It's very concerning when you
see somebody leave, leave the gospel. I know a person that sat under
the gospel for many years. This person sat on it for many
years, confessed it, confessed to believe it, was, I mean, with
us. You all don't know this person,
but this person was with us and fellowshiped with us and always
there. And then one day this person
said, I don't believe that anymore. I don't believe that. I don't
believe in God's election. I don't believe in particular
redemption. I just don't believe that no more. And completely
left the gospel for another gospel. You think that can't happen? Let him that standeth take heed,
lest he fall. We are kept by the power of God
through faith. And we keep looking to him to
keep us. Don't let us grow cold. It's
easy to grow cold. All you have to do is just start
missing. You grow cold. It's just like taking that coal
out of the fire. You take it out of the fire, take that piece
of charcoal out of the fire, put it over here by itself, and
you watch it start to just smoke, and in a little while, the fire
goes out. It goes out by itself. Oh, God keep us. And I pray that Christ will continually
be formed in us. That process never ends till
we leave this life. All right.